Markside
by VeryaTirananniel
Summary: Irena was a marauder by the name of Markside. Her husband is Sirius Black, best friend of James Potter and Remus Lupin. Her daughter is Lori Black. This is her story, beginning on that Halloween night in 1981.
1. Chapter 1

Irena looked around. "Sirius?" she whispered, lighting her wand with a quiet 'lumos' as she padded down the hallway.

"Here, love." came the return, and she sighed in relief.

"What are you doing awake?" she asked, deliminating her wand as she drew into the kitchen, the fire lighting up the room with a warm orange glow.

"It's Peter. You do remember I told you that he was James and Lily's secret keeper?" he asked, turning to her, one side of his face thrown into shadow while the other half showed a carefully controlled expression.

"Yes of course. You made a huge deal about it that they wanted you to be secret-keeper instead. But you were right; nobody would suspect Peter, the coward that he is." she approached him and stood in front of her Padfoot, crossing her arms over her chest, which was covered only by her translucent nightgown and untied dressing-gown.

"Well he was supposed to meet with me tonight about the fortifications, but he hasn't shown. I'm very worried, Irena what if something happened? If he got caught by Voldemort then you know he wouldn't last a minute; What about James and Lily? What about Harry?" he fretted, pacing back and forth in front of the fire.

"Calm down Padfoot, we'll go and check on them. I'm sure they're fine, don't worry yourself." she caught up to him, rubbing circles in his upper arm with her thumbs, looking into his worried grey eyes with her blue-green ones.

"But what about Wormtail?" he asked, his brows still furrowed.

"I'm sure he's fine; he probably got caught up with that project of his again. We'll check on him next, alright? Now lets go and get dressed proper, and we'll take your motorbike to Godric's Hollow." she gave a small grin which he returned, although it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Alright Markside, I'll come with you. But who will look after the little one?" he asked concernedly, looking in the general upstairs direction of their daughter's bedroom.

Irena followed his gaze towards the ceiling. "I'll floo with her over to my mum's right quick, I'll be back before you can blink." she turned and gave him a swift kiss before tying her pale silk dressing gown and hurrying up the stairs.

"Here lovely, mama has you," she cooed as she picked up her baby.

A wild shock of white hair graced the top of the little girl's head, grey eyes blinking tiredly at their mother.

The baby burbled unhappily at being woken up but did not start crying, much to her parents' relief.

Irena held the baby in one arm as she swept her long white braid over her shoulder before settling her child in the crook of her elbow; wrapping her in a blanket before setting off down the stairs.

"I'll return shortly love." she said, placing a chaste kiss on the still-worried Sirius's lips, before she walked into the now-flameless fireplace and grabbing a handful of black powder from an ornate little box beside it.

"Thomas Romaine's House!" she declared, dropping the powder.

Sirius watched as his wife and daughter disappeared into the bright green flames before going upstairs to get dressed, determined to be ready to go once she got back.

Ira walked into her parents' living room, before taking up a medium-sized silver bell on the mantle, used by visitors who floo-ed into the house.

After a few shakes she put it back down, calling out, "Mum! Dad! Could you come here a moment?"

A faint yell answered her, and soon enough her parents made their way into the room in their dressing gowns and slippers.

"Irena love, why are you here so late? Where is Sirius?" asked her mother, hugging Irena carefully around her granddaughter.

"Are you alright?" asked her father, standing next to her mother steadfastly.

"Sirius is at home, and Lori and I are perfectly fine. We're going to go and check on James and Lily, and then on Peter. We're worried that he hasn't shown up for the fortifications meeting that was set up for tonight with he and Sirius." she said, before continuing. "Sirius and I can't watch Lori while we're out; would you both please watch her?" Irena asked, adjusting her grip on the mostly-still young human in her arms.

"Of course honey. Here, let me take hold of Lori for the time being while you and your lover-boy go and check on your friends." the middle-aged woman smiled gently as she took her granddaughter in her arms. Smiling gratefully, Irena hugged her mother and her daughter carefully, before hugging her father, his white hair matching hers and his granddaughter's as he bid her goodbye.

"Love you all, I'll be back soon to pick up Lori." she flashed a parting smile at the room, before stepping back into the fireplace with a handful of Floo Powder and announcing her destination, "The Light House of Black!"

With a rush of flames, Irena appeared back in her living room and relit the fireplace before dashing up the stairs.

"Padfoot, I'm back!" she called out, and Sirius appeared at the top of the staircase.

"Hello love. Lori at your mum's place?" he asked, his worried frown-line still in place between his eyebrows as she nodded, making her way to their bedroom to get dressed.

She pulled on muggle clothes; a crimson, long-sleeved shirt beneath a black tee, and blue jeans with black converse. Over this she pulled on her robes, leaving the front open as she stored her wand in her inside pocket.

She decided to leave her hair in it's sleep-mussed braid, and followed Sirius to the roof of their flat.

Once on the roof, they mounted his motorbike, and roared off into the sky, specially-placed disillusionment charms preventing them from being seen by those inhabitants of muggle Nottingham.

They didn't even attempt to speak over the roar of the engine, each lost in their own, near-identical thoughts of worry for their friends and their godson.

They landed in Godric's Hollow at half-past midnight, and she and Sirius dashed up to the gate, disturbed at the lack of the glow around it which usually showed whether or not the Potters were home.

Once Sirius touched the gate though, all became clear.

The house appeared, and it was half-destroyed.

"NO!" cried Irena, nearly louder than her husband's own shout of anguish.

"James! Lily! Harry!" she called, rushing past the gate and onto the lawn, with Sirius close on her heels.

"Prongs! Flower!" he called out, only to be answered by silence.

Irena raced up to the door, only to cry out in despair as she saw the dead body in front of it.

"James!" she cried in anguish, tears making their way down her face as Sirius caught up to her, letting out a dog-like howl of rage and despair.

"I'll find Lily and Harry," she whispered, before backing away from her grief-shaken husband, who stood at the side of his slain friend.

She went up the half-burnt stairs, ignoring the chill wind that swept through the broken building as she looked for her godson and her friend.

Soon enough she came to the nursery, letting out a sob when she discovered her fallen friend.

"Lily," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks.

All of a sudden, a cry was heard, and her head shot up.

She dashed to the crib, and let out a cry of relief when she saw that at least her godson was alive.

"Sirius! Harry's alive!" she cried, picking up the little black-haired baby boy.

"Shush Harry, Aunt Irena's here." she said softly through her tears, holding the little boy against her chest as she sang to him in a hushed voice.

"Hush a-bye, don't you cry, Go to sleepy little baby.. When you wake, you shall have, all the pretty little horses. Blacks and grays, dapples and bays, all the pretty little horses." she rocked him carefully, the lullaby picked especially from a memory of the one that Lily had favored.

Soon, thundering footsteps were heard, and though her body was racked with silent sobs, she descended the steps with Harry in her arms.

"Hagrid," she said, and the half-giant looked to her from where Sirius was kneeling next to James.

"Irena! Is tha'-? could tha' be young 'arry?" he said through tears of his own, and she nodded, hugging her godson to her chest though her tears surely wet the top of his head.

"He looks fine," she whispered, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Here," she said, handing Harry to Rubeus.

"You can have the motorbike, Hagrid. Get Harry to safety immediately before any death-eaters come after him." Sirius said, his voice shaking with his own tears.

"We have to check on Wormtail," she sniffled, and Sirius nodded, allowing his wife to help him to his feet, and lean on him, sobbing into his shoulder once she looked at James again.

"Come on Markside, we'll apparate to his hiding-place."

"Okay Padfoot." she whispered, her voice nearly deserting her.

"Take care of Harry, Rubeus. Don't you let any harm come to him," she told Hagrid in a shaking voice, and the bearded half-giant nodded, watching as the broken couple went to the front gate and apparated, their broken-hearted forms disappearing with a small 'pop'.

Irena and Sirius materialized on a damp, dark corner in London, both walking swiftly down a small, dark alley.

When they came to a rotted-looking door, Sirius looked quickly both ways before taking out his wand and tapping the door, once above a knothole in the wood, once on the knot, and then tracing a circle around it. A series of clicks sounded as the tumblers fell, and Irena pushed the door open, lighting her wand with a thought of 'lumos maxima'.

Her wand-tip illuminated the entirety of the cubby-hole that Peter Pettigrew had been hiding out in for the past month.

"Peter?" she called, worried that she only found empty space.

"Wormtail!" shouted Sirius, jogging into the space.

She searched the kitchen and smaller rooms while Sirius went and looked through the drawing room and bedrooms.

"He isn't here." he said concernedly.

"But all of his things are." she said, brows furrowed.

"There's no sign of a struggle," Padfoot trailed off, a confused look slowly surfacing through his concern.

"he didn't show for the meeting either…" Irena looked at him, her eyes slowly widening in fear.

"You don't think he-" she cut off abruptly, as Sirius finished her sentence for her.

"THAT TRAITOR!" he roared, and she was glad of the silencing charms she had placed on the house alongside the fidelus charm.

"HE SOLD JAMES AND LILY TO VOLDEMORT!" he ranted, causing Irena to drop to her knees, her face in her hands as she started sobbing again, curling into a ball before her sobbing form was replaced by that of a jackal,

It's striped sides rippling as it let out a howl, followed by the howl of a great black dog.

The jackal broke into a run then, the door bursting open in front of it as the dog followed her out into the street.

They ran through the streets of London, howling and barking, earning many yells from the muggles whose houses they passed.

They followed Peter's scent avidly, snarling in frustration when it disappeared into a sewer.

Going into a park, they walked behind a bush before transforming into their human selves once again.

Moving into the open, Irena and Sirius brainstormed as to where Peter could possibly have gone, and what they should do next.

"We need to go to Dumbledore." Irena concluded, finalizing her decision with a nod. Her long white queue had come undone, and hung in a thick curtain down her back.

"Why? We need to track down that sniveling coward!" fumed Sirius.

"Sirius!" Irena said firmly. "Think! Use that marvelous Gryffindor brain of yours!" she shook his shoulders lightly, causing all of his attention to snap to her. "As far as the entirety of the Wizarding world knows, _you_, not Peter were the secret keeper! Think! We have to go and tell Dumbledore immediately! We have to tell him everything relevant, Sirius or you and I both may go to Azkaban! And where will that leave Lori? Where will that leave Harry, Padfoot?" her worried tan eyes met his grey ones, and searched them for answers as the rage cleared. "We are Harry's godparents, he is ours to take care of now. If we don't, he'll end up with that horrid muggle aunt of his, Petunia and her fat husband and spoiled brat of a toddler." she said softly, reasoning with her husband.

His eyes softened, and he hung his head, gathering his wife to his chest.

"James and Lily, Irena. My best friend and his wife," he whispered, his shoulders shaking once again with repressed grief.

"I know, honey they were my best friends too," she whispered, her voice thick.

"To Hogwarts then." Sirius said quietly, looking up to see Irena's nod of agreement. "To Hogwarts."


	2. Chapter 2

Sirius and Irena made their way back to Nottingham and their house by way of apparition. It was beginning to be light outside, with the eastern horizon turning a rosy pink.

"We'll floo to Dumbledore's office, then? I am far to tired to apparate any more, let alone all that distance to Scotland. And I actually slept. You've been up all night Padfoot, are you sure you haven't been splinched?" fretted Irene, giving Sirius a quick once-over to make sure of his health.

"I'm fine. Let's go." replied Padfoot grumpily, causing Irene to shake her head.

She stepped into the house, crossing the atrium on silent feet before going up the large, velvet-carpeted staircase two at a time, coming to a halt in front of the second floor landing and going down the hallway to the master suite.

Once dressed in finely woven black robes over a black-satin-beneath-white-lace gown, Irena walked out of her closet to wait for Sirius, who was presumably splashing water onto his face in the bathroom trying to regain a decent complexion.

"Padfoot?" she asked softly, approaching the door to the master bathroom which had been left cracked open. "Sirius, love?" she called a bit louder, pushing open the door.

Sirius was standing stock-still, his elbows resting on the countertop on either side of the sink, and his forehead against the large mirror above.

"They're gone, Markside. Gone…" he whispered, his voice hoarse.

"Oh Sirius," Irena's face softened, walking up to her husband and laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Harry is still here. He needs us, Siri. Let's go."

Shoving away from the countertop, Sirius nodded. "You're right." he said simply.

They walked downstairs, coming to a halt in front of the main fireplace in the foyer, on the other side of the spiral staircase from the front doors.

"Here, let me brush your hair right quick, you'll be a little more presentable." murmured Irena, conjuring a brush and a leather cord, tying back her husband's shoulder-length hair in a low ponytail.

"You want to go first?" she asked, and Sirius nodded, taking hold of a handful of floo powder and stepping into the large marble fireplace. "Hogwarts headmaster's office!" he said clearly, letting go of the grey powder and disappearing into the green flames.

Irena followed his example, enunciating the words as she dropped the powder into the fireplace, "Hogwarts headmaster's office!"

Once she arrived in the familiar office, Irena stepped carefully out of the fireplace.

"Here she is," she heard Sirius announce, and Irena looked carefully around the room. The minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold was there, as well as Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid. Also occupying the space was Rufus Scrimgeour, head of the Auror office.

"Mrs. Black, I presume? It's an honor to meet you. I believe yourself and your husband are here to claim young Mr. Potter?" asked the Minister, and Irena nodded. "Yes ma'am, Miss Bagnold. My husband and I were named godparents to Harry, and it is our responsibility as such to claim him in the event of his parents' demise." she responded, only to be approached by Dumbledore.

"I was under the impression that you, Sirius were the secret-keeper of the Potters' whereabouts through the fidelus charm." he said flatly, with a grim look between her and Sirius.

"Headmaster, we know the extent of your knowledge on the subject and are prepared to explain te situation fully." Sirius stood tall, looking into the headmaster's -for once- mirthless blue eyes.

"Do continue, Mr. Black." said the Minister, squaring her shoulders and standing up a bit straighter in preparation to hear Sirius's story.

"The original plan between Lily and James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, my wife, and myself was to have me be the secret keeper. This is the plan that was stated to everyone on the, for lack of a better term, outside of our circle of friends. However, before this plan was put into place, my wife and I met with the Potters again, to discuss an idea that had recently occurred to me. This idea was that Peter Pettigrew, being physically weaker and less connected to the Potters would make a better candidate for secret-keeper. My reasoning on this matter was that more people would expect me, as I would be the obvious choice beside Irena as the secret-keeper. I was James's best friend, after all." Sirius choked up a bit, before controlling his emotions and continuing with his account of the events. "We made Peter the secret-keeper. He and I met regularly to discuss how things were going with the Potters' security, although he seemed increasingly edgy in my presence, as well as in the presence of Remus, James, Lily and Irena. Last week, he visited the Potters, and seemed very ashamed and sad for some mysterious reason, as Lily wrote to me this past weekend." Sirius held up the letter, giving it to Minister Bagnold, who unfolded it, her eyes skimming through the letter until she nodded, pointing out the corresponding line to Dumbledore and Scrimgeour, respectively.

"Peter and I were supposed to meet again tonight. When he did not show up, I grew worried, as did Irena. We dropped off our daughter Aloria at Irena's parents' home, and took my flying motorbike to Godric's Hollow. We discovered the Potter's home in ruins, James and Lily dead from use of the killing curse," he paused, tears welling up in his eyes before he blinked them back determinedly. "Irena discovered Harry in the nursery, which is when Hagrid arrived." here he nodded towards the half-giant, who nodded back in confirmation. "Irena passed Harry into the temporary care of Hagrid, and she and I apparated to Peter's hideout in London. We discovered his home completely empty of both Peter and his most favored belongings, with no sign of a struggle. From there we concluded that he was to blame for the Potter's discovery and demise at the hands of Voldemort, and decided that we should return to you, Headmaster, as well as Minister Bagnold, to discuss with you what actually happened, so as to avoid any confusion as to the circumstances of Lily and James Potter's demise. We have also come to claim responsibility for Harry as his godparents, as named by his parents." Sirius finished, looking between the minister and Dumbledore.

"Would you be willing to provide your memories of the relevant events as proof?" asked Scrimgeour, and Irena and Sirius nodded. Dumbledore brought out his pensieve, the coveted memory-viewer, as Sirius and Irena put their wand tips to their temples, drawing out filmy silver strands of memory, although being careful to leave out anything that had to do with the fact that they and their friends were uncertified animagi.

Irena put her memories into a small glass vial, corking it as Sirius placed his directly into the pensieve.

The Minister entered his memories, as did Dumbledore and Scrimgeour, and the rest of them waited for them to surface, with Irena looking softly at the basket on Dumbledore's desk containing Harry. Once the people exited the memories of Sirius, Irena stood and emptied her own memories into the basin, the Headmaster, minister, and head Auror diving into her own memories as well.

Once they all exited the basin, they looked at the Blacks with sad eyes.

"I have come to my conclusion, Mr. and Mrs. Black." The minister said, her brown eyes traveling between them. "Young Mr. Potter will be placed under your care. And you are both aurors, are you not?" she asked, receiving a nod from the pair. "Good. It will now be your responsibility to track down Peter Pettigrew so that he may stand trial for his crimes. Irena, you may take up this job once you are finished with your maternity leave, which you may extend due to your now increased responsibility of dealing with young Mr. Potter as well. Is that understood?" Irena and Sirius nodded, and the minister turned to Scrimgeour. "And you, Mr. Scrimgeour?"

"I understand perfectly, Minister." the lion-like man nodded, earning a return nod from his superior.

"Here is young Mr. Potter, Irena. Take good care of him," said McGonagall, handing off the basket to Irena.

"Thank you Minerva. And we thank all of you for hearing us out on this case, as soon as we get Harry situated into our home, you could expect me back at work, if that is agreeable to you, Mr. Scrimgeour." Sirius declared, and upon receiving a nod from the head auror, the Minister spoke up.

"Well now that this matter has been settled, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor to find Mr. Pettigrew, Mr. and Mrs. Black. Would either of you be against your memories being stored in a file for Mr. Pettigrew's impending trial upon his capture?"

"No, minister. Neither my wife nor myself have any qualms on the matter." Sirius answered.

"Well in that case, I bid you all farewell, come along Mr. Scrimgeour." the minister and head auror exited through the fireplace, and as the green flames subsided, Irena stepped in next. "Farewell Headmaster, Minerva. Farewell Hagrid, and thank you for looking after Harry temporarily." Irena smiled softly at the room before carrying dropping her handful of powder and disappearing into the green flames with a declaration of "The Light House of Black!"

Irena appeared back in the foyer of her and Sirius's house, stepping out of the fireplace just in time for Sirius to appear in one of the four others on the other side of the main staircase.

"Do you want to go get Lori?" asked Irena, standing at the foot of the staircase with Harry's basket in her arms.

"Sure. You can go ahead and put Harry in the spare nursery we had for him for whenever Lily and James visited." Sirius replied, passing a hand over his forehead, looking increasingly tired and worn.

Irena gave him a small smile, climbing the staircase as her husband disappeared once more into the emerald flames.


End file.
